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Fermentative Digestion in the Stomach of Hippopotamus amphibius (Artiodactyla : Suiformes) and Associated Ciliate Protozoa

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Abstract

No mammals secrete a cellulase and therefore herbivorous mammals rely on their association with cellulolytic microorganisms to utilize their foods fully. Carbohydrates are fermented in regions of the digestive tract where a large bulk of food is retained for a considerable period of time and where micro-organisms occur. The chief products of fermentation are volatile fatty acids, carbon dioxide and methane. The volatile fatty acids are an important energy source for the herbivore.

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References

  1. Moir, R. J., in Physiology of Digestion in the Ruminant (edit. by R. W. Dougherty et al.) (Butterworths, London, 1965).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Makerere University College, Kampala, Uganda

    JUNE P. THURSTON

  2. Laboratoire de Zoologie, Faculté des Sciences, Dijon, France

    CÉCILE NOIROT-TIMOTHÉE

  3. Department of Soil Sciences and Agricultural Chemistry, Makerere University College, Kampala, Uganda

    PAMELA ARMAN

Authors
  1. JUNE P. THURSTON
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  2. CÉCILE NOIROT-TIMOTHÉE
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  3. PAMELA ARMAN
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THURSTON, J., NOIROT-TIMOTHÉE, C. & ARMAN, P. Fermentative Digestion in the Stomach of Hippopotamus amphibius (Artiodactyla : Suiformes) and Associated Ciliate Protozoa. Nature 218, 882–883 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/218882a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/218882a0

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